One difference between the Braves and Phillies is obvious. The Braves rank first in the National League in relief innings pitched. The Phillies are last.

Both teams, though, figure to tweak their bullpens during the final two months, possibly with a move during the August waiver period, but most likely from within.

The Braves, seeking a right-hander to pitch the seventh inning, believe that Peter Moylan could return from back surgery around Sept. 1. They also have two intriguing options at Triple A – Arodys Vizcaino, who recently began working out of the bullpen, and Julio Teheran, who as a starter is 12-1 with a 1.90 ERA.

The Phillies, too, are awaiting the return of an injured reliever — righty Jose Contreras, who has been out since June 20 with a strained right forearm.

The return of Roy Oswalt on Sunday will push righty Kyle Kendrick to the bullpen, and in the post-season — assuming good health — Vance Worley could wind up in the ‘pen as well. Not bad, considering that in 23 combined starts, Kendrick and Worley are 11-4 with a 2.86 ERA.

The return of Contreras would provide a multitude of alternatives for a team that is 33-for-36 in save opportunities with four different closers – Ryan Madson, Antonio Bastardo, Contreras and Brad Lidge.

Lidge earned his first save Thursday, but the Phillies envision him as a potential right-handed specialist due to the effectiveness of his slider. Right-handed hitters are 0-for-8 against him since his return from a shoulder injury.

Teams in need of bullpen help are contacting the Blue Jays about their wide array of setup types.

Turns out the Jays are looking for relievers, too.

The Jays have inquired about the Padres’ available bullpen parts, including closer Heath Bell, according to major league sources.

What are the Jays thinking?

It’s possible they want to acquire a reliever to spin him to another club. Then again, the Jays rank next to last in save percentage in the American League. They might want a genuine closer for next season.

Bell is a potential free agent, but the Jays would stand a better chance of signing him if they acquired him now and began the recruiting process while he was part of their club. At worst, they could offer him arbitration and collect two high draft picks if he left as a Type A free agent, helping replace the players they lost in the trade.

Padres setup man Mike Adams also could close, and he is not eligible for free agency until after next season. Padres owner Jeff Moorad told Adams last week that he was “not going anywhere,” according to Yahoo! Sports. But Adams, too, would fit for the Jays.

Of course, the Jays’ pursuits of the Padres relievers might prove nothing more than exercises in futility – the Cardinals, Reds, Rangers, Yankees and Phillies are among the other teams bidding for Bell and Adams, sources say.

As for the Jays trading their own relievers, don’t count on it. Right-handers Jon Rauch, Jason Frasor and Octavio Dotel all signed one-year deals with club options last offseason. The options enhance their respective values – and actually make them more difficult to move.

Rauch, Frasor and Dotel are likely Type B free agents. A team that trades for one of the three could exercise his option and keep him for next season. Or, the team could decline the option, offer arbitration and gain a supplemental draft pick if the pitcher leaves as a free agent.

The Jays were in similar positions last offseason with Frasor and two other relievers, lefty Scott Downs and righty Kevin Gregg. The team offered arbitration to all three. Downs and Gregg left as free agents. Frasor accepted arbitration and signed his new deal.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Joe Torre, chatting with reporters Wednesday in his new role as MLB’s executive vice-president for baseball operations, displayed the same relaxed manner he did in his daily news conferences as a manager.

Torre touched on a wide variety of topics, offering insights on the pace of game, Michael Young’s situation with the Rangers and MLB’s recent hirings of Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng, former Diamondbacks assistant GM and Peter Woodfork as senior VPs.

Pace of game is an issue that Torre will now tackle from a different perspective. During his days managing the Yankees, the Yankees and Red Sox received frequent criticism for playing lengthy games.

“I want to look at it,” Torre said. “That’s a dirty job for the umpires. In talking to the managers, that’s certainly something we’ve mentioned.

“As managers — and this only came to me when I was part of the commissioner’s committee (for on-field matters) — we have to do our share. Have the players understand what we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to change guys’ idiosyncracies. But we want to at least make them aware that it’s not a punishment.

“It’s just something we’re trying to work on. It’s a hot button for the commissioner. I don’t think there’s any question about it. It’s a ‘feel’ thing at this time. I’m not trying to avoid the question. It’s more, ‘let’s look at it.’”

As for his new senior VPs, Torre worked with Ng with both the Yankees and Dodgers. He is less familiar with Woodfork, but offered high praise for both.

“She’s very efficient. She’s very bright," Torre said of Ng. "As a manager, I always tried to hire people smarter than I am, because it certainly helps. She has a lot of baseball knowledge. She’s very organized.

“I just met Peter last week. I’m very impressed with his abilities. I think the energy level at MLB is going to be very impressive. These people know what they’re doing.

"Down the road, I’m sure they aspire to be the general manager of a club. This is great for two people who have been on both sides of this thing. They both worked for MLB at one time.”

And finally, Torre mentioned that he personally complimented Michael Young while visiting the Rangers on Wednesday. Young has requested a trade from the Rangers, but has gone about his business professionally this spring.

“I told him I was proud of him. I said that he’s a grownup,” Torre said. “The thing about baseball is that there’s a lot of unpredictability about the game. You have to understand that you’ve got to be ready.

“They say managers change their mind — that’s true. But managers make decisions on what you have available to you on that particular day. If something changes, it’s not like you’re changing your mind, but you have a different set of circumstances to deal with.

“But Michael Young is a throwback for me. He just works hard. You try to tell players, ‘Control the things you can control.’ Leave the other stuff to somebody else. He’s certainly doing that.”

At this time last year, Rich Harden was one of the most talked about free-agent starting pitchers.

One poor season later – a 5.58 ERA in fewer than 100 innings with Texas – and it’s not clear whether Harden’s future is in the rotation or bullpen. But at least he has the free-agent market to help him figure that out.

Harden’s representatives are gauging interest from a number of teams. Some like him as a starter. Some like him as a reliever.

The New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies are among the teams who have checked in, a source said.

Questions about Harden’s durability are a major reason why the bullpen is becoming a more viable option. Despite a career 3.63 ERA, the right-hander's never thrown 200 innings in a season.

Still, he is only 29 years old and has power stuff. Someone will take a chance on him.

Earlier today, I reported that the Dodgers’ James Loney could be a trade option for teams looking for a left-handed hitting first baseman.

While some major league sources say Loney's available, a high-ranking Dodgers official says the team won't move him.

If the Dodgers were willing to trade Loney, the Cubs and Nationals would be two teams certain to have interest. Both those clubs are considering free-agent first baseman Carlos Pena.

The Dodgers would need to find a replacement for Loney if they traded him. While the free-agent market is deep at first base, the team apparently isn't satisfied that it could do better than Loney at an affordable price.

As much as the Yankees and Rangers would like a quick resolution to the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, it probably is not going to happen.

The free agent and his agent, Darek Braunecker, intend to meet with clubs besides the Yankees, a major league source said. Those meetings easily could delay Lee’s decision until the winter meetings in early December or even longer.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made the first personal contact with Lee, flying to Arkansas on Tuesday night and staying until late Wednesday afternoon. But the calendar for the rest of the month makes a series of such meetings with other teams unlikely.

Next week, GMs and owners will gather for their own meetings in Orlando, Fla. The week after that is a short one because of the Thanksgiving holiday. The winter meetings, also in Orlando, are Dec. 6-9.

Seven to eight teams initially showed interest in Lee, sources said, though some are more serious than others. The list of possible suitors for the left-hander includes the Yankees, Rangers, Nationals, Phillies, Dodgers, Angels and Red Sox.